'I was livid' - Randy Abbey reacts to National House of Chiefs rejection of mining ban

Dr. Randy Abbey, host of Good Morning Ghana, has expressed shock over comments made by the president of the National House of Chiefs regarding the galamsey menace.

Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, President of the National House of Chiefs, rejected calls for a complete ban on mining activities, expressing concerns about the unemployment it would cause for the youth.

Instead, he advocated for adopting the right methods and strong regulations to mitigate the devastating effects of galamsey on the environment and water bodies.

“You all know I am against galamsey, and I will continue to fight against it, but that should not prevent Ghanaians from engaging in mining activities. Gold is for us, but the right methods should be used to mine it. That is why there is an institution like the Minerals Commission that is responsible for regulating these activities,” he is quoted as having said.

“We are pleading to those calling for the declaration of a state of emergency, and those calling for a ban on mining should know the benefit the nation gets from mining. If we stop mining, most of our youth will be pushed out of jobs.

“We should adopt the right measures to regulate illegal mining so they can all do responsible mining. As for the mining, we will do it, but we will do it responsibly,” he noted.

In response to Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II’s comments, Dr. Randy Abbey criticized him for proposing stronger regulations for mining practices when the country already has existing regulations that are not being enforced, which has contributed to the poor state of river bodies affected by galamsey activities.

According to Dr. Abbey, the chief should have instead advocated for the enforcement of the existing regulations by state agencies.

“…He dismissed calls for a ban on mining activities and he advocated for stronger regulations to ensure responsible mining practices. So in the view of the president of the National House of Chiefs, we do not have strong regulations and that is what is responsible for what we have. I was shocked.

“Stronger regulations? I mean if he was talking about enforcement, if he said ‘We should focus on enforcing the existing regulations and getting the regulatory agencies and all state agencies to act in enforcing what we have’ then fine but when I heard him, the impression I got was that he believes that there is either a lacuna or the absence of relevant laws to deal with responsible mining practices and I was both livid and shocked,” Dr. Abbey expressed.

MAG/EK